Manhood and Louis L’Amour
“No man knows the hour of his ending, nor can he choose the place or the manner of his going. To each it is given to die proudly, to die well, and this is, indeed, the final measure of the man.”
Louis L’Amour, Hondo (Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures): A Novel
My mother-in-law encouraged me to read some Louis L’Amour westerns. I listened to Hondo on audio book while I was gardening.
What struck me the most were the descriptions of what a good man was back in the day – hard working, resourceful, able to survive, willing to fight and die for what he believed in and loved. Honest, brave, persistent, and determined. Protective and caring of women and children. His word was his bond. He was tough. He loved the land.
“There was something her father had said. “We do not own the land, Angie. We hold it in trust for tomorrow. We take our living from it, but we must leave it rich for your son and for his sons and for all of those who shall follow.”
Louis L’Amour, Hondo (Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures): A Novel
Few of these solid character traits are expected of modern men. Many men today have been emasculated, demeaned and belittled on nearly every front. L’Amour’s portrayal of men would now be called “toxic masculinity.” As values of the past have been erased, not only have men lost their self-respect, but also an increasing number of boys and men are appropriating womanhood in a last gasp effort to be something that matters, something significant, something respected and valued.
One cannot destroy or distort manhood without destroying and distorting womanhood in the process. Womanhood has become something people are too chicken to define lest they not be appointed to positions of power or have their voices silenced. Women have forgotten who they are and have betrayed their own innate gifts and nature to be more like men.
In the end everybody loses. Too many are lost and confused.
It occurs to me that the solution to the world’s identity crisis very well could be more Louis L’Amour and John Wayne.
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